Fourth of July in an Ever-Changing City

A summer dress...and an umbrella under the Manhattan Bridge

I've only been living in New York for a little over two years, but I've already witnessed vast changes. The most recent change I've noticed is the Macy's Fourth of July fireworks show.

Two weeks after my fiancé - then, boyfriend - and I moved to New York in the summer of 2012, we did what any other recent transplant would probably do for Fourth of July: watch the show from Chelsea Piers. Back then, the fireworks were over the Hudson River, so all of us crammed onto the pier like cranky sardines. It was hell. We had to stand the entire time, and that particular July 4th was extremely humid. When the show was over, Anthony and I sought refuge in a mediocre diner and agreed that we probably wouldn't be doing this again.

The crowd behind us at the Brooklyn Bridge Park

This year, the fireworks show moved to the East River and Brooklyn Bridge (thank you, Mayor de Blasio for caring about actual New Yorkers!). This gave me the perfect excuse to spend the entire day in Dumbo, my favorite neighborhood in Brooklyn. Anthony and I were nervous that morning, as it was windy and quite drizzly. We hung out at random places in the neighborhood, such as Brooklyn Roasting Company, Powerhouse Arena, and One Girl Cookies. We even went to the new Shake Shack in Dumbo twice that day - because, America. Since it was much cooler than a typical July day on the East Coast, we ended up buying matching grey hoodies from Brooklyn Industries. My first hoodie in years!

A rainy morning gave us the perfect opportunity for a latte

Eventually, the sky cleared up, so we headed over to Brooklyn Bridge Park. We set up our huge blue blanket on the grass and leisurely waited for 9 pm. Brooklyn Bridge Park is one of the most beautiful parks in the city, with stunning views of the Manhattan skyline and brand new recreational facilities. Children were running around the spacious lawns, while young people carried stacks of pizza boxes to their groups of friends. We had a near-perfect view, and the fireworks exploding from the Brooklyn Bridge were mesmerizing.

Looks like a trashy concert

Fourth of July in New York, sorry we almost gave up on you.